** Sample Only - This story has been published (available on Amazon), so only the first several chapters are here **
Birth
"She's almost ready, Doctor" the nurse said, as the woman on the gurney screamed and fought her restraints.
"Excellent" the Doctor said in response. "Let's review the chart and make sure we have all of the details correct" he responded, handing the chart to the nurse and looking over the patient with attentive detail.
"Female host is human" said the Dr. and the nurse responded with the affirmative. "And she has been marked by a pure blood werewolf, who is the same donor, correct?"
"Yes, Dr." the nurse responded again.
"And how many weeks gestation are we at?" the Doctor asked, taking a measurement of the pregnant woman's protruding stomach.
"She's at 32 weeks" the nurse replied after consulting the chart.
"Ok, great. Less time than pureblood human and more than the standard 24 week werewolf gestation, this is looking promising" the Doctor said optimistically. "Push, now" he commanded the woman in labor.
It took about forty more minutes for the beautiful baby girl to be born, appearing strong and healthy.
"Please, let me see her, let me hold her" the woman begged through her tears, fighting to free herself from her bonds. She pleaded desperately through tears to be given the chance to hold her newborn baby.
The doctor and nurse both ignored the woman as they began the examination of the child, speaking in low tones and making notes on a chart.
"Ok" the Doctor said with satisfaction once his examination was complete. "Take her to the nursery, I want a full blood panel workup and then I want her given Compound 41. Then another blood draw after it's been in her system for an hour, and one every 4 hours after that for the next 24 hours."
"Of course" the nurse said, quickly making notes on the chart.
"Then" continued the doctor, "I want this one to stay close. We need terms in the adoption to ensure that she stays local. Like Compounds 39 and 40, Compound 41 will likely manifest as physical disabilities, and I'll want to monitor the effects through puberty."
"Yes, Doctor" the nurse replied, and then added in a hushed town and nodding toward the weeping mother, "And the host?"
"Schedule for termination" the Doctor said without any emotion, before they both left the room.
Age 7
"It isn't fair" little Evelyn said to her adoptive mother. "I keep falling, I can't even feel my toes anymore" the little girl sobbed into her mother's shoulder.
"I know, my Heart" her mother said, gently playing with the soft buttery-blond curls that wrapped around her fingers as she held the crying child to her chest. "It isn't fair, and I'm so sorry that you can't run and play with your friends the way that they do."
The two sat there, gently crying in each other's embrace, as the little girl brushed the gravel off of her bruised and scuffed knees. There were little spots of blood from where the skin had been broken. Evelyn wasn't upset about the wounds, but more upset that she could barely feel them. Over the last six months, the feeling in her legs had been decreasing, even though she had been faithfully going to every doctor's appointment, following through on all of the assigned physical therapy and taking all of the prescribed medications.
Tanya, Evelyn's mother, wished that there was something more that she could do. When they had adopted Evelyn as a little girl, they were told about her rare genetic disorder. They were informed that Evelyn would likely suffer ongoing muscular degeneration over the years. Tanya and her husband Richard fell in love with Evelyn immediately and knew they would do whatever they could to help her. Whatever struggles she might face, they were determined that she wouldn't face them alone, and they would do everything in their power to show her how special she was, whether or not she had the same physical capabilities of other children.
Evelyn's parents were grateful to have been notified at the time of the adoption that a research facility was interested in helping Evelyn with her genetic disorder. They would be able to waive a majority of the medical costs of treatment if Evelyn's family were able to commit to living nearby the medical facility in the small town of Garnet, so that they could create a consistent treatment plan as she grew, to which they of course agreed readily. They wanted to provide every opportunity for their new daughter.
"Why do I have to be broken?" Evelyn sobbed again, burying her face in her mother's neck, and wrapping her arms around her.
"You aren't broken. You never have been and you never will be" Tanya said to her daughter, as she pulled her face back gently and held it in her hands. "Who you are is who you decide to be" she said, looking directly into Evelyn's tearful, crystal blue eyes. "Your body has some parts that don't work like others and that's ok. What matters is you, on the inside."
"But the others will make fun of me, and leave me behind" Evelyn said, blinking back another wave of tears.
"If people make fun of you that may mean they have their own things that are broken on the inside. Having something broken on the inside can be much harder than having something broken on the outside" her mother told her with compassion and heartfelt sorrow that her daughter had to deal with such things. "There will always be people left behind, but if you're happy on the inside, then you are free to be happy without worrying about what anybody thinks. It isn't being left behind, if you are happy with where you're at."
"How can I be happy where I'm at, if I'm all alone?" Evelyn asked, trying to understand what her mother was saying to her.
"It doesn't happen on its own" her mother said to her. "You have to decide that it doesn't matter what others think, and especially what they think of you. And then you work to make sure you are the best you can be, at being kind to others, loving others and trying to help others when they feel broken and left behind. Some of your happiest moments can be when you're able to love others, whether they deserve it or not, and help them to love themselves."
"I don't want to feel broken inside and I don't want anyone else to either" Evelyn confided to her mother.
"I know, My Dear. You have such a beautiful heart, and you love others, even when they're mean. If you want to help them, there will always be people who need help on the inside, even if they look perfect on the outside" Tanya assured her.
YOU ARE READING
Compound 41
WerewolfEvelyn was fathered by a werewolf, but adopted as a baby to human parents and never knew anything about her own kind. She had struggled her entire life with a steady decrease in the use of her limbs from a rare genetic disorder. The Doctor had trie...
